Oil pumping method



21, 1939. Lw. PARKER 2,148,131

OIL PUMPING METHOD Filed sept. 2, 19:56

l /7/1//255 5 INVENTOR @55% @Wim/W Patented Feb. 21, 1939 UNITED STATESvPATENT OFFICE 2,148,131 on. PUMPING METHOD New York ApplicationSeptember 2, 1936, Serial No. 99,014

2 Claims.

My invention relates to an apparatus and method whereby stubborn andviscous oils and oily sludges may be pumped through a transmission lineof considerable length and elevation, and itis especially adapted forthe removal of such material from the inner bottoms and cargo holds oftankers and oil burning vessels.

The extreme viscosity of such material prel0 ciu-des its handling byordinary pumping means and methods, and I am well aware of the existenceof special devices and methods for this purpose. Some of these methodsare exemplied by the Wheeler Patent No. 1,405,173, which 15 employs airas a blasting or emulsication agent while other methods employ steam forthe same purpose, see Engstrand Patent No, 1,952,061.

Other methods depend for their operation upon a rapid and intermittentslug formation, as is .m the case with the Engstrand Patent No.1,967,231.

" Specifically referring to the Wheeler patent above quoted, I nd thedrawback of this pioneer invention to be the elaborate and costly highVacuum creating plant with which each individual transmission line mustbe provided.

Referring to the Engstrand Patent No.

1,952,061 you will note that the transmission herein disclosed is a truesteam spray transfer and therefore, excellent as the device may be .mfor large rening tanks, the long and slender high pressure steam hoseswhich are directly connected to long and unwieldy steam jet pumps willpreclude its use in such close quarters, as an inner bottom tank of avessel, and besides its use in such inaccessible quarters cannot beallowed by the responsible ship operator, as the workers are alwayssubject to the very real danger of accidental scalding by steam escapingfrom a bursted high pressure steam hose.

4D A thorough study of the sundry intermittent slug transmission methodsshow that, when the.

actual tank cleaning is undertaken, the pumping rate is comparativelyslow for the semifluid sludges, which so often are encountered in shipbottoms and rening tanks, and which circumstance I have found dependsupon the fact that the intake suction, besides being intermittent, isentirely too feeble for the rapid intake feeding of aforesaid heavy andviscous residues.

50 The ideal sludge handling system must at all times possess a highvacuum suction where the transmission line is brought in contact withthe material to be pumped and I have discovered that such high anduninterrupted intake sucu tion can be obtained for several transmission(Cl. S-5) lines discharging in a common vacuum receptacle if slugformation higher up in the transmission lines is substantiallyprevented. It is readily seen that when a slug of material is allowed toform inside a trans-mission line its sealing action will be similar tothat of a pellet in a rifle bore, and when a too great accelerationresistance occurs in the line a vacuum break and blow back is bound tooccur at the intake end of the transmission line, with a resultantinter- 10 ruption of pumping.

I have discovered, and this is my invention, that it is possible tosubstantially prevent any slug formation inside an air transmission lineand create a high and continuous intake suction at the end of a coldintake hose by means of inserting a specially constructed steam jet pumpin the line at a point spaced well apart from the intake end of theline, and also by placing a spray separator at the end of the line fromwhich separator all of the admitted air and steam are by-passed out ofthe system by a powerful vacuum suction action.

I have also discovered that heavy and viscous oil sludges passingthrough my pumping device are so changed in nature that they can bereadily pumped through long transfer` lines and burned in the regularburners under the boilers, as the pumped mass is very rich in heat unitsand is returned into an oily and heterogene condition, although thewater content of the mass may be as high as 50 per cent.

Now therefore, inasmuch as the nature of the material is changed and anew and useful result is obtained by means of my new combination of oldelements, I do not only claim the apparatus used but also the severalrelated steps necessary for my pumping method as part of my invention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 shows my preferred apparatus installed on board a slop bargewith the transmission hose slung over the ships side removing heavyviscous material from the inner bottom of an oil carrying ship.

Figure 2 is a plan view of my apparatus and shows the detail ofconstruction thereof on an enlarged scale.

In the drawing where like reference characters designate correspondingparts, I denotes the vessel from which the heavy oil sludge 2 is beingremoved out of the inner bottom 3 in which the sludge has accumulated.

At the side of the vessel the slop barge 4 is moored. On the deck of thebarge the vacuum 55 tank is installed and the high vacuum pump 6 isshown connected thereto by the pipe line 1.

' To the vacuum tank 5 the transmission line 8 l is attached, whichflexible hose line is adapted l'iU to be slung over a ship's side andled into the hold of the vessel.

At a point in close proximity to the tank top and preferably recliningthereon, the special high vacuum steam jetpump 8 is connected to theline 8 so as to discharge therethrough. Into the suction end of the jetpump 9 the end of the flexible intake hose I0 is secured and this hoseline, devoid of any high pressure steam line, is shown led into theinner bottom tank through a conventional manhole.

The intake end of the hose line I0 is preferably supplied with thereducer fitting II through the side wall of which several air holes I2are drilled.

Steam for the operation of this jet pump 9 and the high vacuum pump isfurnished through the steam hose I 3 and the pipe connection I4, whichsteam lines are provided with the valves I5 and I6 respectively, anddirectly connected with the manifold I1, with which the boiler I8 isprovided. The vacuum tank 5 is also provided with the drain valve I9through which the tank may be conveniently emptied into the hold of theslop barge.

My special steam jet pump 9 is preferably of the solid injection jettype, but this type may be replaced with the annular type which, ofcourse, must also possess the special proportions required for mypumping method. I have found the former type to be more powerful thanthe latter, although it is heavier and more diflcult to handle.

The steam jet pump has preferably a cast iron body 20 with a lateralsteam jacket 2|, into which the expanding nozzle piece 22 is screwed.The clean out plug 23 allows for the insertion and the removal of thenozzle piece and provides also for the easy insertion of an ironpounding bar if the throat opening should become plugged during pumping.

'I'he throat opening 24 of my preferred jet pump has a cross sectionalarea of approximately one quarter that of the transmission line 8, whichis shown connected to the pump body proper by means of the taperedVenturi fitting 25.

The operation is as follows:

The transnnssion hose having been positioned as shown in the drawing,the valves I 5 and I6 are opened and the intake nipple dipped into thematerial to be pumped, care being taken not to submerge the air holesI2.

An intake vacuum of as high as 20 inches mercury is created by thecombined action of the jet and the vacuum pump and the air willtherefore rush in with a super-Cyclonic velocity of several hundred feetper second through the openings I2.

In the meantime a column of viscous material is rising relatively slowlythrough the reduction nipple as it is held back therein by aconsiderable friction resistance.

The inrushing air in striking this relatively slowly moving column willdisintegrate the same into a spray which becomes suspended in theensuing air stream and is carried into and through the throat opening ofthe high vacuum steam jet pump 9.

'I'he high pressure steam jet, which in the pump throat attains asuper-velocity of more than 2,700 feet per second, will still furtherblast the relatively slow moving spray of material, which from here onwill be still further subdivided and suspended in a mixed air and steamjet stream which ls sucked through the transmission line proper by thehigh vacuum pump 6. Any slugformatlon will be prevented inside the lineas any tendency to seal the line will be counteracted by an acceleratedflow of the steam and air through any momentarily restricted place inthe line as the propelling vacuum in the discharge portion of the linewill immediately increase. i

'I'he material will therefore enter the separator tank 5 in the form ofa spray. Now, therefore, this separator fitting must be a sprayseparator and I prefer the relatively large spray separator employed byWheeler above quoted for a floating marine equipment, inasmuch as I candischarge several hose lines into the same vacuum tank.

When the separator tank is filled, the operation is discontinued and thematerial is allowed to drain out through the valve I9 into the hold ofthe slop barge.

For refinery service I prefer a small individual separator where thespray is allowed to impinge upon a cylindrical wall of the separatortank, and the centrifugal force is utilized for separation in theconventional manner. I also connect for this kind of service areciprocating pump to the separator, which pump will withdraw the pumpedmaterial from the separator during the pumping operation.

I have also discovered that in order to obtain a spray transmissionthrough the entire transmission hose, the throat opening of the highVacuum steam jet pump shall neither be too small nor too large.

If the throat opening is smaller than 20% of the transmission hose area,the material will pass through the intake portion of the line in theform of a slug while the transmission from the jet pump on willsubstantially be a spray transmission.

I have also discovered that, if the pump throat opening is more thanhalf that of the transmission line, slug formation occurs beyond thepoint of the steam admission, and a sluggish and relatively slow pumpingwill result.

The intensity of the steam jet has also to be confined betweenrelatively narrow limits. The steam supply cannot be excessive becausean excessive steam admission will overload the vacuum pump, and aninsufficient intake vacuum accompanied with blow back is bound toresult.

'I'he steam supply cannot, on the other hand, be too small as aneffective spray blasting in the pump throat requires a certain minimumamount of high pressure steam.

I have found that when the high pressure steam jet nozzle is at itsnarrowest portion, less than 20% but more than 10% of the throat openingof the pump body, the best results are obtained.

I have also discovered, and therein my invention also resides, that whenthe temperature at all times inside all parts of the transmission lineis kept below Fahrenheit, the transmission is a true spray transmission,which is from 200 to 300 percent faster for heavy oils and sludges thanany other existing pumping method.

'I'hat the pumping temperature existing inside the transmission hose 8is the true criterion for a. spray transmission is evident when weconsider the Dalton law, which is one of the fundamental laws for theinteraction between mixed gases, where no chemical reaction occurs.

'Ihe Dalton law states that in a mixture of different gases each gasbehaves as a vacuum to all the rest, and if one or more liquids areintroduced into a space at given volume, the amount of vapor given of!by each depends only upon its temperature and pressure, and isindependent of any other gas or vapor present, and therefore the totalpressure of the gases and vapors, contained in the space, is the sum ofthe separate pressures, which each would exert if it were the only onepresent.

The high pressure steam which emits at th high velocity of 2700 feet persecond from the narrow high pressure steam nozzle will expand into thespace of the transmission line and there mix with the sucked in air.

Now, from the above consideration of the Dalton law we know, that theair will behave as a vacuum for the steam and vice versa. The highpressure steam escaping into this seeming vacuum will expand and acertain percentage thereof will condense leaving the steam at all timesin a saturated condition.

I have discovered that in order to create an air spray transmissionthrough the relatively short intake hose of the transmission line, anair velocity of more than feet per second is required through the hose.As the cross section of a 4 inch diameter hose is approximately 12square inches, approximately 10 cubic feet of attenuated air will passinto and through the line during each second. As a partial vacuum existsinside the intake line when the intake nozzle is submerged as shown, theamount of atmospheric air passing therethrough will be approximately 4cubic feet per second.

As the air stream velocity will increase considerably,say 50 percent,when struck by the high velocity steam and subjected to the powerfulsuction of the high vacuum pump, the resulting steam and air stream willpossess a velocity of approximately feet per second.

As I have found a 4" hose to be the size most suitable for sludgepumping, a velocity of 150 feet per second means that the volume of thecombined air and steam stream passing through the hose during one secondapproximates 12 cubic feet.

At degrees Fahrenheit a quarter ot a pound of steam occupies 124 cubicfeet with a pressure of about 'l1/2 pounds per square inch. Also 4 cubicfeet of atmospheric air will expand into some 12 cubic feet of air at atemperature of 180 Fahrenheit. and a pressure of about 7% pounds persquare inch.

As I use a half pound of steam per second for the operation of my highvacuum iet pump and the pumped material approximates 5 pounds persecond, half of this jet steam will condense leaving a quarter of apound of saturated steam per second inside the transmission line.

It is also to be noted that sludges on shipboard most often containlarge deposits of scale and water and that such deposits are thoroughlypulverized and mixed when passing through my high velocity steam Jet inthe manner described, which renders the mass pumpable by ordinarypumping means and burnable in the conventional burners.

In -this connection I wishto point out that an individual reciprocatingvacuum pump cannot be conveniently shiftedfrom tank to tank in arei'inery, and therefore I prefer to use a steam jet exhauster inconjunction with the individual separator for refinery service, but in apermanent floating equipment for ship service a large reciprocatingvacuum pump, common for several transmission lines, is by far moreeconomical in steam consumption than a number of individual steam jetair exhausters.

It is to be noted that in all prior art patents when steam is used as apumping agent, the temperature is at times higher than 180 Fahrenheitinside the transmission line.

In the true steam spray transmission of Engstrand above quoted a steampressure of more than atmospheric pressure must exist inside the lineand therefore the temperature must be above 212 Fahrenheit.

Also in the slug transmissions of Engstrand No. 1,967,231 the operationis dependent on an intermittent steam pressure suiiicient to overcomethe acceleration resistance of the slug as well as the atmosphericpressure against which the slug is being discharged, and there I havefound that a temperature much higher than 212 Fahrenheit exists insidethe transmission line during the slug discharge.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the apparatusshown, as it is evident that modiiication and alterations may be made inmy device without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

It is iinally to be noted that in both my preferred pumping systems, i.e. that for ship service as well as that for refinery service, the sprayof pumped viscous material is being separated from the gases previous totheir discharge into the atmosphere.

I claim:

1. The method of pumping viscous material characterized by admitting ahigh pressure steam jet into a transmission line at a point spaced wellapart from theintake end in the direction of flow to thereby create ahigh and uninterrupted intake vacuum and suck a stream of air andviscous material through the intake portion of the line and cause aspray transmission therein and deliver the spray into the steam jet andcreating a vacuum at the end of the transmission line so as to preventthe temperature from ever rising above 180 degrees Fahrenheit at anyplace inside the transmission line.

2. The method of pumping viscous material `characterized by admitting ahigh pressure steam Jet into a transmission line at a point well spacedapart from the intake end in the direction of iiow to thereby create ahigh and uninterrupted intake vacuum and suck a stream of air andviscous material through the intake portion of the line and cause aspray transmission therethrough, creating a continuous vacuum at the endof the transmission line so as to at all times prevent a temperaturerise above 180 Fahrenheit at any place in the line `and separating thespray from the suspending gases previous to their discharge into theatmosphere.

LESTER W. PARKER.

